Daily news coverage of politics, policy, and issues shaping the nation.
House Speaker Paul Ryan has given Congress a New Year’s resolution: Skip gigantic spending bills and return to the regular, piece-by-piece appropriations process. That will prove a tough exercise for lawmakers in 2016, however. The calendar and political obstacles are daunting. Congress will have a shorter session this year, making it difficult for legislators to…
Two women who own guns almost stole the show by challenging President Barack Obama’s views and actions when he took his gun control pitch to a live audience on national TV. Gun owners Taya Kyle, widow of “American Sniper” Chris Kyle, and Kimberly Corban, a Colorado rape victim, took on Obama’s push for stricter gun laws during CNN’s…
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is preparing to go to court to challenge President Barack Obama’s “illegal” executive actions to restrict gun ownership. “President Obama is again disregarding the constitutional principles of separation of powers and exceeding his authority as chief executive,” Walker, a Republican, said Wednesday in a prepared statement: The Obama administration issued guidance…
Stiff-armed by a Republican-led Congress, President Barack Obama took to national television Thursday night in an effort to sell stricter gun control laws to the American public. During a town hall event televised live by CNN, the president dismissed the suggestion that he wants to take guns away in a “conspiracy.” He said his efforts are…
The agency charged with overseeing implementation of the Affordable Care Act could not guarantee that tax credits under the law went solely to Obamacare enrollees who had paid their premiums, government inspectors discovered. A report released Wednesday said that in 2014, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services relied on health insurers to confirm that payments based on the tax…
As protesters continue to engage in a standoff against the government at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, conservatives agree the events have elevated the debate over federal land ownership. But lawmakers stop short of endorsing the actions of the protesters occupying a federal building located south of Burns, Ore. “It’s brought attention to a problem…
North Korea’s fourth nuclear test may be its most consequential, but the world is limited in how far it can escalate its response. Though the Obama administration disputed North Korea’s assertion that it had tested a hydrogen bomb, which would be the most powerful nuclear weapon the country has ever tested, the act violated international…
On Thursday, the Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department withdrew a proposal that would give nonprofits the option of collecting personal information, including the Social Security numbers, from its donors. A critic called the government’s decision to abandon the proposed rule “a huge victory for American democracy.” “This is a huge victory for American…
An Alabama congressman says his grandfather’s death at the hands of a mentally ill gunman shaped his views on the futility of stricter gun controls. “I take every incident of gun violence seriously,” Rep. Bradley Byrne, R-Ala., said Wednesday on C-SPAN. “What the president proposed yesterday will not affect this problem at all.” On Tuesday, President Barack Obama announced executive…
The pro-marriage, pro-life group Focus on the Family is celebrating the 12th anniversary of Option Ultrasound, a program that rejoices in the birth of 358,000 babies who had been at risk for abortion. “Here at Focus on the Family, what we wanted to do was help equip the pregnancy medical clinics around the country to be able…
Fresh off recess, House Republicans spent little time back in Washington before denouncing President Obama’s latest executive actions to restrict gun ownership. “Anyone who watched the president yesterday had to be struck by the unbelievably partisan nature of his remarks,” Rep. Andy Harris said Wednesday. “It’s not like he wanted us to solve this problem as…
For the first time, Congressional Republicans sent a bill repealing key provisions of President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law to his desk. Following the upper chamber’s lead, the House passed a reconciliation bill, 240-181, repealing measures of Obamacare and placing a one-year moratorium on federal funding for Planned Parenthood this evening. The Senate passed the…
House conservatives on Wednesday challenged Speaker Paul Ryan to fulfill his pledge to play offense in 2016, warning their leader that “the honeymoon” period of his tenure is over. As House and Senate Republicans get set next week to lay out their goals for 2016 during a joint retreat, conservatives say they want Ryan, R-Wis.,…
Raising the bar for other cities throughout the country, New York City announced “strong” and “bold” protections for transgender and gender non-conforming individuals. The new legal guidance, issued Dec. 21 by the New York City Commission on Human Rights, came as part of an expansion of the city’s 2002 Human Rights Law, which protects against discrimination…
KYIV, Ukraine—Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7. So in Ukraine’s capital city, the holiday season is still in full swing. The festivities in Kyiv leading up to Thursday reflect the continuance of normal life despite the frozen conflict in eastern Ukraine and looming battles on the nation’s domestic political front. At the Gulliver shopping mall, children line…
Flanked by families who lost loved ones to mass shootings, President Barack Obama fought back tears as he announced a unilateral push to curb crimes committed with guns and called for a renewed national “sense of urgency” on the issue. At his press conference Tuesday, Obama outlined immediate executive actions to expand existing background checks,…
DES MOINES, Iowa—Evangelist Franklin Graham prayed for what he called America's needs during a rally he led from the steps of the Iowa State Capitol. “Right now we need to get godly men and women to vote and to run for office,” Graham said. “Your vote counts. America needs the Christian vote.” Graham, the eldest…
Americans again name government as the top problem facing the United States, according to a new Gallup poll. It was the second consecutive year government ranked as the most important concern facing the U.S. In 2015, 16 percent in the Gallup Poll Social Series surveys put government at the top of concerns. This is down from 18…
As armed, anti-government protesters continued to occupy a remote wildlife refuge in Oregon, Twitter had no shortage of commentators assessing the situation. “If you’re occupying with guns, it’s terrorism,” one observer tweeted. “Unless you’re left-wing, then it’s ‘social justice,’” another offered. The group, called Citizens for Constitutional Freedom, said it was protesting to protect land rights and oppose the…
The breakdown in relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran complicates life for the United States, which has staked its hope for peace in the Middle East on these two rival powers playing nice. While the U.S. tries to push both countries into helping end the war in Syria, the Obama administration is also banking on…